Forbidden Friendship: The Paths We Take
by SanctumAsylum
Summary: Sequel to 'Forbidden Friendship'. When decisions are made, even the closest of people can have opposite opinions. Still...on rare occasions those differences are what brings us back together. Rated T for violence and cursing.FINAL CHAPTER UP
1. Scream and Shout

A/N: Inspiration hit me after the first prompt and I decided to continue.

If you haven't read the first story, this has the potential to confuse you a bit. You can find it here if you're interested (just delete the spaces in the browser): http:/ / www. fanfiction. net/ s/6747108/ 1/Forbidden_Friendship

This is a hop, skip and a jump from baby and toddler times though. I base this loosely, but the picture in my mind is of Fang as a child (almost twelve or so at least) and Vanille around the same age, but obviously a few years younger. I get all of my information from here: (just delete the spaces) http: / /dilly-shilly. blogspot. com/ search/ label/ Final%20Fantasy%20XIII

Also, the titles of the chapters are all lyrics that can be found in "Sticks and Stones" by Jo'nsi which is also on the "How to Train Your Dragon" soundtrack. I know. I'm obsessed.

Disclaimer: I only claim this fic.

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Forbidden Friendship: The Paths We Take

Scream and Shout

The smell after it rains…I hate it.

To me: it smelled like worms, dirt and fish. And, personally, I believe that particular combination was never meant to work; and, take it from me: it didn't. Also, I didn't particularly enjoy tracking mud all over my body due to rain if only because my mother and father didn't approve of dirt in the house. Being dirty didn't bother me, but having to take baths did.

There _were_ upsides to rain though. Like how it made flowers grow; flowers that smelled beautiful, looked beautiful and happened to be one of Vanille's favorite things; one of her _many_ favorite things. And right _before_ it rained it smelled absolutely refreshing. Like morning dew, baby plants and, to be honest, a little bit like Vanille's hair when she got out of the shower. In her terms the smell before it rained smelled 'very naturey'.

She would say the same for the soap she used.

At this moment, though, that smell laced the air.

Standing on a small hill littered in these pink flowers, I inhaled, my shoulders lifting and then sagging as I exhaled in harmony. Once the rain would start, the smell would begin to recede, leading only to the terrible fish smell. I wanted to cherish the beauty for the few moments that I could; the few moments where gray cloud cover eliminated the viper's nest from the sky.

I decided then that I loved gray clouds.

"Fang!"

I stayed in my stance; eyes closed, breathing in the aromatic winds. Besides, Vanille was the only person who would try finding me. Even my parents weren't that worried. Or that devoted. I never blamed them though; being in charge of a clan was hard. Vanille would say so as well. My parents were head of the 'Yun' tribe; hers the 'Dia'. I supposed you could call our friendship some sort of a 'peace-offering' or, depending on how you looked at it, 'forbidden'.

"Fang! I was looking all over for you!" she whined lightly, her smile outshining her disappointment. "Da Pa said you would be here…he always knows where you're at, you know that?"

Yeah, I know he did. Da Pa was always like that: very wise. He said I would grow up one day to become wiser than him. Of course, I didn't believe that. No one was smarter than Da Pa.

"Fang!" Vanille waved her hand vigorously in my face, causing me to back away slightly when I finally opened my eyes. "Oh good! I thought you were sleeping there, for a minute."

I smirked "And what's it to you if I was?"

"Don't be mean." She huffed, placing her hands on her hips for a slight second before changing her position again. Vanille never _was_ able to sit still. Turns out as a baby she always wanted to be doing _some_ sort of activity and I would literally have to come over just to wear her out so she'd get some sleep. Well, _that_, and Vanille always cried if I wasn't there when she was being put to sleep. It'd been years since then, but I never ceased sleeping in the same bed as her. If I didn't, she would cry.

"Anyway…" She continued despite my wandering thoughts "I found something at Da Pa's house. He told me to give it to you since he can't move from bed—uh…"

My face visibly dropped.

Perhaps one of the only things in the world that could get to me so badly was that my Da Pa was dying. I knew it, but I refused to face it. If that wasn't bad enough, I began ignoring him. I couldn't stand to see him suffering. It hurt so bad watching him wither away in a bed when I had known Da Pa for so long; and this…_decaying_, _pale_ body that could do nothing except lie in a bed…was _not_ my Da Pa.

For a time now, Vanille had tried her best to avoid the subject. She knew how close Da Pa and I were from the stories he told her (some were a bit far-fetched, but I never let Vanille in on his white lies. After all, he was allowed to have his fun).

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to say that like…" she saddened, her brow furrowing before she shook her head and smiled again "Anyway…I brought you this from him. He also told me to tell you something when I handed it to you."

I gazed at the item Vanille held in her hands.

It was large; much larger than her. It expanded sideways and was rather long. The two ends were more bulbous than the middle which was a stick in comparison. In fact, I'd say it _was_ a stick with two balls attached to the ends of it if I had to make a guess, but it was hard to discern as it was wrapped in brown paper.

Nodding I held out my hands and waited for her to drop the object in them; she looked like she was having a bit of a difficult time carrying it anyway. "So…what'd the ole man want you to tell me?"

Vanille grinned. Sometimes that girl could be so transparent. "Happy Birthday, Fang!"

My eyes widened slowly, but then I smiled. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me!" she pouted, smacking my shoulder. Needless to say: it didn't hurt. "Thank Da Pa!"

I frowned ever so slightly and set the gift against my leg. I was grateful, but I couldn't go see him now. Not after ignoring him for so long. I was…pathetic. I loved Da Pa so much that I was afraid to see him. I'd turned in to a coward. "I can't."

"And why not?"

"I just can't. You wouldn't understand."

"Oh, wouldn't I?" she crossed her arms and grabbed the present. "You know what _I don't _understand? Why you've been avoiding Da Pa for so long! But you know what I _do_ understand: Da Pa loves you. And he misses you…_a lot_."

"Vanille. Stop it." I growled. I didn't want to hear this. I already knew that I was stupid for avoiding him. I scolded myself every night before I fell asleep. Actually, I hadn't gotten much sleep because of it. At night it was easier to admit to myself: I missed him.

"Not until you decide to go see him!" she yelled, swiping the object back from me and swinging it wildly.

"Woah! Watch it, Vanille. You can't carry that thing very well!"

"At least I can still try to! You won't even try!"

I raised my brow. "Lifting the gift?"

"You know what I'm talking about! Don't play stupid, Fang!" she huffed, tears racing down her cheeks. Vanille was always quick to cry, but she always had reason to. It was never out of pity or selfishness. She usually cried…for me. Sometimes I think she cried in my place; because I never had. "Go see Da Pa! He's wasting away, Fang! Every time I go there, he always asks how you're doing or if you're coming. I _hate_ telling him that you won't come so I've started telling him: 'she might come later.', but do you ever? _No_, you _don't_!"

"Vanille please…"

"I don't like seeing him like this as much as you don't…but…it makes him _so_ _happy_ when he sees me. I can't imagine what kind of smile…you, Fang, would bring to his face. Do you know what's wrapped in this paper…" she asked gently, pulling the brown cover away "A double-edged spear. See? Da Pa still worries about you and he still forgives you; even though you're being selfish by avoiding him!"

I slowly inhaled.

She might as well have punched me in the gut; actually I would have probably preferred that to feeling this pain.

No one had ever scolded me for avoiding Da Pa; they just accepted it and said it was my way of coping. They were right, but to cope that way…I wasn't coping correctly, not that there was a right or wrong way to cope, but I should have enough strength to see my Da Pa and be happy just knowing that _I_ can make his day that much better.

Instead I was hiding in a corner, despairing selfishly; waiting patiently for the day that he really would be gone and I'd never get to see him again.

"I don't know what I'd say to him…besides 'sorry'." I whispered, afraid that if I spoke any louder my voice would tremble and give away how frightened, _how sad_, I was.

Vanille smiled through her tears and hugged me. "Tell him everything that you've told me. You're stories about Da Pa…speak volumes of how much you love him, Fang."

She was right. Da Pa was always there for me when no one else was. Even when Vanille wasn't around, Da Pa was. He showed me the way, even helped me along. I never walked my paths alone because Da Pa was beside me. And then when he knew he couldn't be, he gave me a friend that _I_ could walk beside. I was never really alone; and Da Pa was the one who gave me that gift.

I squeezed Vanille and ran in the direction of Da Pa's abode. I vaguely heard her screaming about my gift in the background, but I missed whatever she truly said. My mind was focused on seeing Da Pa.

In a haze I stumbled pass the villagers, through the town and to Da Pa's. I was urgent; people were in my way. There were too many things going on around me at once. I had questions being thrown at me, accusations and admonishments. Somehow, I ignored them all and was able to reach Da Pa's house within a few minutes.

I stopped at the door, heaving to catch my breath. The adrenaline, I knew, would be fading soon as would Vanille's words. If I didn't act now, I'd probably never get the nerve to see him ever again; or to tell him how much I loved him.

Raising my hand I went to knock on the door when I realized: what the hell am I doing? I shouldn't be knocking! I should be barging in there and hugging the one I missed the most.

Still, even though I decided not to knock, I cautiously opened the door. "Da Pa?" I called when I heard no response. I wasn't going to enter unless I knew he was awake. He had to be awake. I wouldn't let myself believe that he could be…I couldn't.

A grunt came from the covers and the sheets fell away from the body. Da Pa raised his head. His blue eyes, still as light and glossy as ever, opened and my presence robbed his face of a smile. He was too surprised to do anything other than gape.

"Da Pa…I…" I started, still outside of the doorway, unsure if I had permission to enter.

Da Pa smiled, his eyes wide as he moved to the edge of his bed to get up and see me. He grunted, wobbled, walked towards me…

…and was gone.

The entire house was gone; or rather, crushed right before me, a giant foot looming atrociously on top of the building that once was my Da Pa's abode.

I was in shock. How? When? Where? Why! I was barely able to register the screaming in the background, but it was clear what was in front of me: A demon.

A demon sent from the viper's nest.

I couldn't believe it. Da Pa was so close. He was _right there_. I was just about to tell him everything I never had the guts to say before. And he was gone. Anger welled up inside of me. That…that _thing! _That _demon_ stole my Da Pa from me! He stole my Da Pa, he stole my words. It was more than I could bear. I couldn't focus on Da Pa being killed; I couldn't fall in to despair now. So I channeled that sadness in to hate.

Screaming, I lunged forward wanting to kill the giant beast that came from the sky, from that den of demons in the sky! But a hand grabbed mine.

"We need to get out of here!" Vanille cried, pulling me desperately alongside of her as though I were nothing more than a ragdoll.

"I'll kill them…" I kept chanting, disconnected.

Vanille shook her head and continued running, too breathless to speak.

We must have run for hours, for it felt like so. But I knew we hadn't when I started recognizing my surroundings. We were on the flower field again, watching as devastation tore our hometown apart.

That terrible creature which had flown down from the viper's nest, the one that killed Da Pa, was now destroying everything within its wake. With its right hand it tore the earth, splitting it into one thousand fragments which flew to strike the people; _our_ people.

With its left hand it ripped down the mountains, crumbling them into more fragments which flew to slaughter the creatures.

With both of its hands it pulled up the river and sent it crashing down on both our people _and _the creatures, washing them away.

It devoured the fruits of our earth and took our fertile lands with it hands, rolling it up and carrying it away. Metals deep within the earth it tore out with its right hand, stole with its left hand, and then carried those away too.

It turned buildings to rubble and carried away without a trace left behind.

The only thing wasted was the countless lives of our people; friends and families. Screams of terror continued to plague the earth as its slaughtering continued, missing not one beat.

And when the demon finally flew once more in to the sky, back to its den of thieves and murderers, the only sound left in its wake was the silence of death.

Everything was still; as quiet as the death that just plagued our lands. Until finally sounds began to filter through my ears and I heard the small sounds of a single child crying.

Vanille screamed in to my back as she gripped my shoulders, tears streaming down her face like the river that washed our loved ones away. She knew.

She knew we were homeless now. Our parents…there was no hope for survival in the town. Vanille had reached me just in time to steal me away from harm. But two kids couldn't save an entire village.

I glared at the lurking nest in the sky. My mind focusing on the hate I felt welling up inside my heart. I wasn't sure how long I stood there; just glaring, but it must have been quite a long while because when I finally registered my surroundings: I was on the ground, my head lying against the flower beds.

Rubbing the eyes that itched as if I had over-taxed them by crying (though I knew I hadn't), I sat up and looked around. It was dark; moonlight burning brightly in to my retinas as I gazed up at the night pregnant with stars. And then I looked back down.

Nearest me was my weapon…the one Da Pa had meant to give me. I cringed and gripped it in my fist. Then I noticed the fire which had been lit, but was now very obviously out. Smoke rose from the ashes, meaning that the fire couldn't have been out for long. So why was Vanille missing?

"Vanille?" I whispered, unsure of myself. But my voice didn't travel far and at this time, Gran Pulse was a very lonely place to be. And that's when I thought; Gran Pulse _was_ a lonely place. For what reasons did I need to whisper? The creatures were gone; the people were gone. For all I knew, Vanille and I were all that was left.

I stood, standing in an offensive position as I took a deep breath. "VANILLE!" My voice didn't echo; there were no longer any surfaces for it to sound off of, but it traveled and I could distinctly tell how loud a voice sounds on a silent planet. "VANILLE-!" I yelled once more, straining my voice, water flowing to the rims of my eyes as I had begun to assume the worst.

I shook my head and got ready to scream again, but my throat was hurting and I choked on my words as they exited my mouth "Vani—ck…"

The strength in my legs that had propelled me thus far left me and I hit the ground with a thud, grass shifting beneath me as if to lessen the blow. No, I wouldn't accept this. Yes, I was strong enough to make it on my own, but I wasn't strong enough to admit that_ I_ was the reason Vanille was gone. That Da Pa was gone. That my entire village was gone…wiped out by the swipe of a monster's one hand.

And that_ I_ was unable to do anything to stop it.

"Fang!"

I looked up, eyes stark-wide.

She giggled, scratching her head, a few twigs sticking out of her pigtails. "I heard you screaming. I knew you could be loud, but that was _really_…_loud_…"

"Vanil-…"I stopped, straightening my stance. This was no time to be weak. If Vanille needed to lean on me, then I needed to be here for her. I couldn't afford to let sadness slow me down. I had to drive myself forward and if that meant using anger as my crutch; I'd do it. "What were you doing out there?"

She must have sensed the change in my mood because she instantly looked as though I'd thrown her for a loop with the question. "I was looking for food…I was afraid to look for some in the rubble."

In the rubble that was our town; there must have been hundreds of bodies lying around there. Vanille not wanting to go was no surprise, but if that demon wiped out all the creatures, we had to find food one way or another.

"I'll go."

"But...we don't know if it really wiped out all the monsters. It's risky."

"No more risky than when you ventured out there. I'll go in to town, see if I can find salvageable food and when I come back I want a fire ready. Can you do that?"

Vanille simply nodded; a little more than intimidated by this newer, colder side of me. I tried to loosen up, placing my hand on her shoulder. "…it's okay, Vanille. There's no way that thing could have killed everyone. We'll rebuild when we find others, but for now, and until then, we'll stick together. I'll protect both of us…" I winked and turned, walking away as Vanille's worried gaze followed my shadowed form the entire way to the pile of rubble we once called our home.

"…and then I'll hunt that demon out of the sky; even if I have to rip out its wings."


	2. Do Not Hide, See The View, Step Aside

A/N: Another hop, skip, jump and we are at the age that Fang and Vanille are in the game (well, maybe six hundred and sixty-six years younger though ;D if ya know what I mean) anyway hope you enjoy this.

**SPOILER ALERT:** If you have not reached Vanille and Fang's hometown then this is, indeed, a spoiler chapter. It's all happening before the game starts, but there are a few things you could potentially kill me for spilling xD so consider this a 'covering my butt' alert. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I only claim this fic.

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Forbidden Friendship: The Paths We Take

Do Not Hide, See The View, Step Aside, Go Through

It was time I left.

That robot…was getting on my last nerve with its clinks, beeps, whistles and tinkers. Maker knew where Vanille found the contraption and, again, only Maker knew what possessed her to grab the hunk of junk and carry it home. We already had enough trinkets in the houses; anymore items were just wasting space.

I looked away from the book I was reading. It wasn't much of one anyway; more accurately it was a guide; a loose guide that was made to identify monsters. Now _that_ was useful. A robot named Bhakti…not so much. It was hard to even say what the thing did. I'd never seen it in action before as it was; only Vanille had. Which I distantly concluded that the reason for that was because of the way she hoarded around the thing once she got home.

She'd only owned it for a week now though; sooner or later it'd get old.

Stretching away from my seat, I placed the guide on the table, next to the photo of Vanille and I, while sparsely raising an eye at the nondescript beeping box. "And just who do you think _you're_ beeping at?" I asked, prodding the tin with my foot. Small, but discernible clanks resounded from it as I rapped it with my open-toed sandals. The tin can didn't move, even as I kicked it (though I told myself it was a light kick, nothing damaging), so I immediately set upon bending to the floor to see if it's life had been expanded.

With my finger I flicked it, hoping that I would get some sort of sign that it moved on. I was actually hoping it _had_ moved on. After trying to read for the past hours through clinking, beeping and some whirling sound I couldn't define, I was fed up with the glorified toaster oven. I flicked it again and waited. But it didn't move.

With a smirk on the hinges of my mouth, I heard footsteps of the kids coming back up to the house.

There were plenty of kids; plenty of houses. In reality only a few would come up to the steps of this abode (unless it was mealtime. That was a totally different story). But one kid I could be absolutely positive would come to this one was: Vanille. She would most certainly walk through that door, greet me and then…

…greet Bhakti.

But Bhakti was dead now. And the only one whom was left at home besides Bhakti was me. So who was the guilty party?

Hm. I obviously hadn't thought that kick through.

Setting out for a distraction, I started looking for something amongst the sheets, blankets, trinkets and pouches. If I could just find something that may take her mind off Bhakti, I had a chance of getting away with it. But as I continued tossing miscellaneous items around, I kept coming up empty-handed. And the footfalls were none too far off anymore.

As I guiltily grabbed my guide, sitting quickly back in the chair, I remembered a saying once told to me: "Honesty is always the best policy."

The door burst open with a vigor I knew was all Vanille, her signature contented sigh only confirming my suspicions. "You really should have come with us this time, Fang! The flowers are so beautiful this time of year."

My 'mm-hmm' led her to believe I was truly engrossed with the book in my hands, but my thoughts were leading elsewhere. See, Vanille always wanted me to come with her and 'see' the flowers, but we could 'see' them just fine from the center of Oerba. I always told her that and she always responded this same way every year. I never could understand why a group of kids had to go to the middle of the fields just to watch flowers sway back and forth. Sure, they were pretty. But…really, they're everywhere.

"Oohh, she never does listen, does she Bhakti?" she changed her tune, turning to the robotic lump on the floor. Might as well be garbage now since the damn thing was dead. "Bhakti?"

I lifted my eyes from the book and set it back on the table. "Alright, Vanille…look here and listen 'cause I'm only going to say this once."

Vanille giggled, placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes at me. She _rolled_ her_ eyes_ at me. _She_ rolled her eyes at _me_. The girl talking to a can of garbage (not to mention the one who named the thing in the first place) was rolling her eyes at _me_: the person who took care of her for a living. Not to consult the maker, but there was something seriously wrong with this picture. I don't believe anything else could possibly top how ridiculous this was.

"Wait your turn, Fang. I was talking to Bhakti."

And now I stand corrected.

"You can't be serious…" I mumbled.

"Bhakti! Bhakti wake up!"

"She's serious."

Deciding to distance the problem (tin can) and the creator of said problem (me, obviously), I walked to the back of the room which was just an alcove consisting of small beds. The further away I was from the problem, I figured the less of an impact it'd have on me.

Vanille gasped.

I winced.

"Look! Look at Bhakti!" she cried, her finger pointing exasperatedly at the bot as her hand covered her mouth.

"I didn't kick it _that_ hard!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air as I turned to see her 'shame on you' face.

And then I realized her expression…was giddy almost. She was excited? Vanille was actually okay that I kicked her rolling garbage can?

That's when I saw the object of her excitement. Apparently when I turned and walked away, Bhakti decided it fit to come back to life and play a little joke on me. In the left over cloth that my Sari was made of, he had decided to wrap himself up by running head-long in to the cloth, covering him in a manner similar to mine.

I lifted my brow in bemusement. Damn thing was out to get me.

"He looks just like you, Fang!" she laughed, poking Bhakti and clapping. "You should give him some pointers."

"That thing doesn't need _my_ help to spar." It's already beating me at my own game as it is, I thought a bit angrily as I glared the contraption down. 'Bhakti' beeped, faking a shiver and then boxed itself back up.

"What was that about kicking though?" Vanille asked, suspicion dripping from her voice as she examined Bhakti's outer rim and then me.

I shrugged nonchalantly and turned away. "Who said anything about kicking?"

So much for honesty being the best policy.

I could feel Vanille's eyes narrow at my back. She was smarter than that, but judging by her silence she allowed this offense to pass. Besides, Bhakti got me back already; any other sort of punishment was just redundant.

"Fang, I invited the kids over here for dinner…is that okay?"

I stood in silence for a moment and thought about the setting of her question. If the kids were around, it may just lighten Vanille's mood a bit more and as long as she stayed happy, maybe my news wouldn't affect her so much. Because I had a feeling that she would be none too pleased with the information I was going to be giving her. I needed her to be as cheery as possible. Maybe the let down wouldn't be so hard then. "If that's the case then what are you doing just sitting there?"

"Huh?"

"We've got a dinner to get started on."

Vanille laughed and nodded "Right!"

XXX

We ended up fighting a few monsters and cooking their meat, making a broth out of their bones.

It was wasteful not to use the entire creature when killed so we tried to use every part. The fur and outer skin we sent to the village seamstress so that she could make it in to clothes for other villagers. The claws, fangs and paws we sent to the blacksmith for the birth of new weapons. And the eyes, fangs, teeth and tail I gave to Vanille to give to our medicine man.

As I stirred the last bit of meat in the broth, I heard the padding of feet as they ran up the steps.

Right on time.

They let themselves in by bursting through the door with their pointless banter following them. I heard Vanille amongst them, probably talking their ears off. She, of course, greeted me first.

"I'm back!" she giggled throwing her hand in the air and then skipping towards me. "Ryker gave me a few things for the eyes, fangs, teeth and tail. Do you want to-…"

I waved my hand before lifting the steaming pot and setting it on one of the un-used cook-tops. "You can show me later."

Vanille smiled quietly "Okay."

"Hey, Fang." Roz greeted, her long black hair flowing perfectly behind her. Roz was a weak girl; I would compare her to Vanille except Vanille was much stronger. Her green eyes portrayed the beauty her face framed, but in a battle looks didn't get you anywhere besides maybe in to a Behemoth's stomach.

We always worried about her and the two boys' at her side probably more so than anyone else; two protective brothers' were a lot to handle.

Lyulf was the boy to her right; he was outgoing, honest and quick to flare. He sure had an attitude, but his heart was in the right place; most of the time. His hair, unlike his brother and sister was a spiked diluted orange, his eyes brown. His brother, Coy, was quiet in comparison; so quiet that I had never heard him speak but two words: "Thanks" and "Hyaa", if the latter could even be considered a word. His hair was spiked, but laid flat against his head, the spikes facing forward. His green eyes stood out brightly amongst his black hair.

"Roz, Lyulf, Coy…this is it, huh?" I asked, turning my question to Vanille "When you said you invited the kids I suspected _all_ of them."

Roz laughed. "She _did_. She even invited a few of the adults. Ryker was too busy with the medicinal practices after Vanille handed him your items, Lolek…well, you know Lolek, he does what he pleases. Abira wanted to stay home to help her mother with her baby sister and…" she lifted a finger to her chin trying to think of more people that Vanille must have asked.

I interrupted. "What about Vikram?"

Lyulf shrugged. "What _about_ him? He hasn't come back after his stupid decision."

"What makes you think it's stupid?" I asked angrily, the bite in my voice evident. I liked Vikram. He was humble, sarcastic, and very protective of our home-town. What he did, he did out of concern for us…yet I'd heard nothing except scorn coming from the mouths of the very ones he set out to protect. See, Vikram left a few weeks ago to become a L'Cie.

The red head rolled his eyes. "How about the entire ideal that leaving us to become a L'Cie is actually going to do someone any good? I mean, we're just tools to the Fal'Cie. They give us some crack-pot job and if we don't finish it…well too bad for us, we turn c'ieth. But are _they_ affected? Nope, they just get another gullible human to carry on the dirty work that others couldn't handle."

"Well I don't see you getting off _your _ass and trying to do something about this war." I growled, my fingers tightening their grip around the steaming pot's handles. "At least Vikram is out there trying to help. Who are you to say it's right or wrong when you're sitting here doing nothing!"

"And what about _you_, Fang!" Lyulf jumped up, challenging me to strike. "You act smug, but I haven't seen _you_ lifting a finger to do anything about the war! What do _you_ intend to do, hunh?"

I felt overwhelmed; boiling over much like the pot in my hands. I could feel the point of the boil reach its critical point and I knew that if I didn't settle myself down soon, I'd have a fight on my hands. I told myself to breathe and stay calm. Just _breathe_.

Lyulf scoffed. "Yeah, that's what I thought. You act self-righteous, but when it comes down to it you don't intend to do anything either."

Stay _Calm_.

"Just admit it, Fang…you're no better than me or anyone else in Oerba."

The handle from the pot snapped. "I'm nothing like _any _of you!" I yelled, lifting the pot and slamming it back on the metal heating bars. I turned, the fire he fueled lighting my eyes, burning my body. Lyulf's eyes grew wide for a split second, showing how truly scared he was to face me as an opponent. Even when he attempted to look as though I didn't faze him again…he failed. He failed miserably.

"You want to know what I _intend_, Lyulf?" I was biting off the words, holding back the urge to throw the metal handle in my hand at the boy's head. "I _intend _to become a L'Cie and end this war. I'll tear that damn nest out of the sky…with or without any of you."

Roz gasped at the same time as Vanille and rose out of her seat. She immediately smacked Lyulf before addressing me. "Don't listen to him, Fang! You don't need to make such a decision just because my brother's an idiot."

I started before Lyulf could protest. I was sick of hearing him speak by now. "It's not because of him." My voice was soft, even if strained, as I spoke this confession because the one I wanted to avoid hurting by the news was standing to the side, facing me with a look I couldn't discern. Slowly, I glanced Vanille's way. Her face was of pure surprise and perhaps a hint of…discontent? "I've actually been thinking about this since before Vikram left. His decision just made mine clearer."

"What if the Fal'Cie just gives you some useless task?" Coy spoke. I swear: if I were wearing socks he would have knocked them off. Obviously there was a reason he didn't speak often. His voice was unsettling.

"Then I'll use the power they give me for the time being to destroy the viper's nest." I growled, briefly catching Vanille's eye before I saw her avert her gaze to her feet and then to the simmering pot.

Her movements were shaky at best and when she walked over to the cabinet to take out bowls, she quickly spun around and smiled. "Enough of all this depressing talk! There's food to eat!" she inhaled the aroma "Mm! Smells delicious!"

Roz jumped at the chance of emotional improvement, skipping over to Vanille while pumping her arms and rolling up her sleeves. "I'll help! Ooo, this_ does_ smell yummy, Fang. Mind giving me the recipe some time?"

I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest. I despised tip-toeing over subjects and leaving them hanging, but by the way things were looking; it seemed I was out-numbered.

Having stuck her hand in my 'surprise stew', Roz winced and chewed like a half-retarded chocobo that got something gummy stuck in it's mouth. "This steak is tough."

I scoffed. "Yeah, so is life."

* * *

A/N: One more thing: I'd LOVE feedback on this chapter, if-n-ya don't mind, because creating the OC's bothered me. I usually enjoy finding names and characteristics to fit them, and while I _did _enjoy it I'm not sold on the way they turned out. I didn't want them taking center-stage and spotlight (for the story focuses on Fang and Vanille), but did I accomplish that well-enough? Or did I lessen their appearance too much? I might not improve on it straight-a-way, still, just knowing would help me tons.

Thank you all so much!


	3. Stay Close to Me, Count One, Two and

A/N: No more hopping, skipping or jumping, promise! ;D Hope you enjoy this last tribute (psst. you should tell me your thoughts in a review)!

And this chapter, again, contains:

**!SPOILER ALERTS!** Did you ever take a good look at the school building in Oerba? The two drawings I mention are in there, hanging on the wall by the door, in case you're curious ;3**!**

Disclaimer: I only claim this fic.

* * *

Forbidden Friendship: The Paths We Take

Stay Close to Me, Count One, Two and Three

"What are _you_ looking at?" I questioned the robot whom had been blatantly staring at me for the past five minutes.

It was being strangely quiet for a bot that beeped so much.

The kids were gone, Vanille having volunteered her-self to walk home with them. The problem was: all of the homes belonged to all of the villagers so it was anyone's guess if she'd come back or not. Perhaps Bhakti was acting so different because he's just _that_ scared to be alone with me. The corner of my mouth upturned at this prospect; as he should be.

I marched away from the sink, having finally finished cleaning all of the dishes that were used, and made my way to the robot on the floor. He rolled in reverse slightly; serving only in giving me a nice chuckle. With a satisfied grin I crouched to the floor, bending my knees to reach him. A pat on his binocular-like eyes, a flick to his contraption and I said "What's got you all buggered out? Afraid I might kill ya?"

Another beep sounded before that odd whirling, clicking sound started up. My head retracted as his mechanical eyes lifted up. Either he was making toast or was about to explode. The sounds emanating from him weren't exactly reassuring.

I'm ashamed to say that I flinched when a screen appeared in front of me, but being astonished by this new discovery I was in no hurry to establish what I'd done. When I focused back on the flickering, floating screen Bhakti beeped again and then words ran on the screen.

My brow creased incredulously. "'Bhakti's Bonus Bytes'…seriously?"

Another click and the robot ran into my knee cap. I laughed, shooing him back to his original spot. "Okay, okay I get it. I'll read."

Finding the serious will in my body, I looked apologetically at the robot and waited for the screen to reappear. It took a few minutes, but afterwords the screen was up and running with text jogging across the flickering display.

"Alright let's see…Bhakti Bonus Byte number..." my eyes widened "…just how many 'bytes' are you carrying in that toaster box?"

If a robot could sigh, Bhakti was the first to do it. I barked out a laugh and waved my hands. I couldn't believe I was actually _talking_ to the robot. I thought Vanille was crazy for doing such a thing, but Bhakti seemed almost…._human_. I mean, aside from the obvious that he wasn't. And that he was made of metal. And that his eyes were binoculars. Case and point, he wasn't human even though his actions seemed quite similar.

"Right…byte number..." I paused, giving him another look as the bot whir-clicked. Other than that he did nothing else so I continued "…773: 'If you stand in one place long enough, your friends may speak to you'…You think I can't get people to speak to me the _normal _way? That's it, bhakt. It's you and me; one on one."

Bhakti reversed until he was safely away before throwing the display up in the air once more. More text was on the screen, but the sentence was filled with only a few words so it needn't run across the screen making for a slow read.

I stood, placing my hands on my hips "I'll play your game once more, but if I see anything except 'sorry', you're mine."

I crossed the room quickly enough and reached the bot just as it tried to steel itself (pun intended) before my looming figure. I read the words and gaped. Then I smiled. This robot was one heck of a trip and to my amazement, he was growing on me.

The text read: 'Go see Vanille. Even silent, she still needs you.'

"You couldn't just say that before?"

Bhakti made that sighing sound once again, causing me to laugh. I patted it's…back? Head? Enh…I patted _it _before moving away and walking to the door. Turning the knob to open the door just a crack, I smiled and looked at the robot that was now safely back inside his box. "Thanks…Bhakti."

The air was crisp as I exited the warmth of the home, still it wasn't cold and I had no problem running down the stairs to walk out in to the square center of town. Night had descended upon us a while ago; since Vanille had been gone.

She wasn't one to stay out after dark, heck; she wasn't one to stay out and away from _me_. But it was hard to tell whether I should be worried or not. Vanille was the type of person who craved people being around her. I don't know if it was the attention or just to wipe away the loneliness, but she always needed someone beside her. I, on the other hand, was fine being by myself for days on end. Even that robot was too much to be around at times. Being alone was fine because I never actually felt lonely.

Vanille always held a hint of loneliness in her voice. I just couldn't tell why.

Looking around, I spotted the abode Roz would be most likely to reside in with her brother's, but the lights were no longer on. They were probably sleeping and I didn't want to disturb them so I walked in the other direction; toward the water.

It was while I was walking down the slope that I spotted something that disturbed the stillness of Oerba at night.

The water itself rippled against the walkway creating moonlight cascading abstractly on its surface. I became slightly entranced by this movement, wondering briefly what Vanille would be doing if she were, indeed, alone out here. My thoughts flashed from her pouting, to crying, to laughing and then skipping. The common denominator in those flashes was that in each one: she was always moving. And if there was something that distinctly expressed Vanille: it was her inability to sit still.

I just had to look for colorful movement. Right now, seeing as the only other thing moving out here was water, I shouldn't have too hard a time finding her.

Moseying over to the water's edge, I dipped my toes into the surface. It was cold, not bitterly so, but enough to make my toes hate me for a good while. Not that I minded it. I was used to cold feet. It was heat that I couldn't stand.

Toes drifting in and out of the water, I shifted my head to focus on the sky. In the process I happened to catch a glimpse of pink and white movement out of the corner of my eye. And when I turned to look directly at that movement, I found what I was looking for.

There on top of the school building, where all the flowers that we planted were, sat Vanille, her legs swinging idly back and forth. She looked as though she were listless despite the seemingly energetic movements of her legs.

Cracking my shoulders with a good lift and twist, I headed toward her position quietly. Sneaking up on people wasn't really my forte, but for some reason I was really good at it. The villagers always jumped at my entry, _I_ just thought it was because they were intimidated. _They_ said that I was cunning. I liked to think both played a part in their surprise.

When I entered the school building, I more or less ignored the desks lining up neatly to face the chalk-board. As for the artwork…well I fancied looking at children's creations. Moreover it was so pathetic it made me laugh or it was so pityingly cute that I couldn't help except to love it. Either way I was never able to quite pass a drawing by.

Finger on my chin, I gazed at the newly made drawings on the teacher's desk. Both were chocobo's, but one looked like something a behemoth would spew up. The other had a bit more handy work and practice thrown in to it, like the child was aspiring to be an artist. I raised a brow and 'hmm'ed.

I still liked the behemoth spew.

I laid the papers back down in their rightful place and headed out the side door and up the stairs to the roof-top.

Luckily enough, Vanille's back happened to be facing toward me. It wasn't my initial intention to creep on her like some two-bit psycho-stalker, but I didn't know how else to approach her, really. I mean 'hey, did you see the behemoth barf on the paper downstairs?' was no way to start a conversation.

Especially when I knew the conversation piece that was bothering her was a touchy subject for the both of us.

I silently inhaled a breath and began. "Alright, spill. What's eatin you?"

"Fang!"

I'll admit; I got an inner chuckle or two from the way she spun around, jarring her hand underneath her rump and then promptly shaking off the pain. Usually I was the one with the terrible luck. She must have gotten herself into one heck of a slump to be this out of it.

"Don't bother getting up." I commented, taking a seat beside her and throwing my feet dangling off the building. "_We_…need to talk."

I watched as she reluctantly withheld a sigh from escaping her lips. She smiled and tried that whole 'everything is fine' act, but I wasn't buying any of it. "So, what do you want to talk about? You and Bhakti didn't get in to a disagreement again, did you?"

Did she really think that could fool me? I've known her since she was a whiny, crying whelp of a baby (not that much had changed since) and yet she thought she could pull off her oldest trick in the book on _me?_

I decided to play along. "We got in to a bit of a scuffle. Toaster Oven was no match for me though."

Her face dropped. "Fang! You didn't!"

"Ha! Fooled you." I chuckled when her lip pouted and she crossed her arms, facing her body away from me. "That's what you get for trying to fool _me _with that fake smile of yours. Honestly…you should know better by now."

Slowly, but surely she turned back to face me, her frown all-too evident on that pretty face of hers. "I'm sorry, Fang…it's just…I don't want you to go."

"You think I'd be up here if I didn't know that?" I asked, expecting no response.

She remained silent for a few moments as she stared down in to the water's reflection of the night sky…and of the viper's nest. "But you're not going to change your mind…are you?"

It was easy to tell myself that I didn't have to do anything about this entire situation. I could make it simple and live out life on Oerba with the rest of town, but my mind always wandered to: what if the demon came back? It was only a matter of time before it came back looking for more resources to steal from our land to carry back to its own. Only a matter of time before it killed just as ruthlessly. What if this time…it got Vanille?

"'Fraid not." I answered, my mind's eye focusing on that last moment before Da Pa was murdered.

She nodded. "It's because of Da Pa…isn't it?"

"I confess that has a big part to do with it, but that's not all of my reasoning."

I was caught off guard with which the speed she turned on me, grabbing my arm and yanking it towards her. "Then why! Why do you have to do this! Why do you have to go and leave!"

"Because I want to protect you!" I shouted cutting off her rant of questions that I knew wouldn't stop unless I stopped it. "I couldn't…I _didn't_ do anything when that demon stole our home the first time. Da Pa was killed because of my incompetence and _you_ ended up having to save _me_."

"But you're always saving me, too, Fang…"

"That's not the point! If that demon were to come back today, would you be prepared! Can you honestly say that you would survive the next time?"

"We'll just run away and rebuild again, Fang!"

"I'm _sick _of _running!_" I yelled, my fist slamming down on the side of the building with emphasis from my rage. I understood Vanille's intentions were good and her heart was in the right place. But she was being naive thinking we could always run from our problems. Sooner or later…they'd find us. We had to face our demons. And I was ready to face one _now_. "If we keep running, Vanille, you and I will be the only things left on this planet once everything is said and done. I'm going to protect you _and_ Oerba."

"But what about becoming a c'ieth? What if…that happens to you?"

I shrugged. "So then kill me."

She gasped, her hand flying over her mouth and her head shaking with denial.

"I don't want to be damned to walk, fly or crawl on Pulse as an ugly, limping creature for the rest of eternity" I smiled "If I had the looks, sure. But seeing as looks aren't in the deal, I'll stick with the killing."

"I could never do that to you, Fang." She whispered.

I sighed. "Then hire someone. I _really_ don't want to be c'ieth."

Vanille surprised the hell out of me by smacking me. I rubbed my cheek and wide-eyed her. Tears were forming on the brim of her angry eyes "How can you be so _casual_ about this!"

"Because I've accepted my decision a long time ago…the hardest part was telling _you_."

Vanille grimaced, scoffed and then slumped her shoulders. The entire emotion of 'anger' never sat too well with her.

Deciding to give her a break on the heavy subject, I changed it for a bit. "Did you happen to see those two drawings downstairs of the Chocobo's?"

For a minute I didn't know if she would take the bait. But after a little while a smile formed on her face. She seemed pleased enough at the change of pace. I'd say it was safe to say she even looked a little relieved. "They're cute, aren't they?"

I jeered "Yeah that _one _was positively _adorable_."

Her eyebrow raised and she crossed her arms. "Oh? Which _one?_"

I leaned back and grinned. "You know…the one that looked like a behemoth ate a Chocobo and then coughed him up on a piece of paper. Though what a behemoth is doing in a school and why it's creating art, is beyond me."

"That's not very nice!" she smacked me again "_I _made that!"

"You're kidding?"

"Da Pa told me my drawing was a gift." She jutted her bottom lip, crossing her arms and puffing her cheeks as she felt the entirety of my criticism seeping in. She was quite obviously just milking the display for all it was worth, but I couldn't help finding the humor in the situations predicament.

"Yeah?" I asked, trying my best to hold in my laughter. "Did he tell you to return it, too?"

Vanille raised her hand to smack me again. I reacted by quickly raising my arms to defend my vital head area; didn't need her puncturing any eyes or such. But when I felt nothing come, I lowered my arms and chuckled. "Hey, yellow blobs are classy. I, personally, loved the…_coloring_ technique you used."

She threw me a sideways, half-rolling her eyes glance before she turned back to gaze uninterestedly at the water's surface.

"Vanille?"

My question arrested the silence of night for only a few moments; stillness reaching every corner and then covering both Vanille and I once it sought the opportunity. I sat forward, resting my elbows on my lap.

"I'm a little sad that you didn't discuss this with me earlier."

I raised my brow. "I never knew you had such terrible drawing's bef-"

"Not _that!_"

"Oh."

"…when did you stop trusting me?"

I shook my head and sighed. She always took things a little too personally despite that I meant well. Grabbing her shoulder, I patted it and stood, her gaze following me. "I haven't."

"Then why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Frustrated, I growled, rubbing a hand agitatedly through my hair. "Because I knew you would take it the wrong way. I didn't want you trying to change my mind."

She remained silent as she frowned, her brow furrowing together in contemplation.

I could understand why she was so confused and maybe a little hurt, but she had to learn to grow up sometime. And what better time for her to learn with me leaving? Sure, that wasn't what I had originally intended, but I felt guilty not having_ some_ excuse for leaving her (besides to kill a demon). Vanille would never truly be alone, she had Roz, Lyulf, Coy, Ryker and many other villagers; the only person she wouldn't have near: was me.

Perhaps…_that_ was what I feared most.

She had never been away from me for more than a few hours during a day. And I was always with her at night, when she cried herself to sleep at times more often than not.

"Look, I'm going to go pack my things…I'll be out of here before morning." I paused "If you don't want to see me off, I'll understand. Give Ryker and Roz my regards."

And with that I headed back to the house…and left her alone, steeped in her silence.

XXX

"I never thought I'd say this: But I'm going to miss you, you over-glorified toaster oven."

Bhakti sincerely beeped at me. Or at least, I took it as sincere. I really wasn't in the mood to think of it as anything else.

Smiling, I crouched to the ground and lightly knocked my knuckles against Bhakti's casing. It rapped gently, a hollow sound emanating from the whizzing robot. I knew he wasn't empty…_now_; after having fully committed to admitting that I thought less of it, excuse me, _him _before he gave me his little advice. In a very low toned sound, Bhakti beeped at me again and rolled against my leg.

I laughed and pushed him back with my fist. "I won't be gone forever! And while I'm gone, I expect you to take care of the house. Make sure the house and dishes are clean, the kids are fed, Vanille gets to sleep and the furniture is dusted."

The bot pulled his new-found-favorite sighing trick on me again before clanking fully to the ground in his pouting.

"…yeah, who am I kidding? Even _I _don't dust this place." I paused mid-chuckle and looked around; and I mean, I _really looked_.

It was almost too surreal to think that I might never return. Slowly my head craned around the room, examining the worn edges, the lived-in atmosphere, the clutter, the smell, the…everything that was Vanille and I. My mouth twitched on the makings of a smirk that was never truly able to stow itself upon my face.

My feet started moving slowly toward the sitting-area's table, the house barely creaking with my weight. And then I reached for the photo atop its surface, brushing the dust that I had mentioned to Bhakti away with the back of my hand. As I said: I never dusted. Minutes passed and I just continued staring at the nondescript photo, waiting for something inevitable to wake me up, snap me out of this dream and tell me to stay here, with Vanille; to stay as we were in this timeless photo; in a photo where Vanille never cried and I never worried.

But I kept thinking of how this place, here and now: was not a dream. It was nothing more than a place to which Vanille and I had found our escape from reality. And as if to keep reminding us of the atrocities that we couldn't hide from, that nest loomed in the sky above our town; its demon inhabitants waiting for just the right moment to strike. Waiting for just the right moment to surprise us all, kill us and steal everything we had striven so hard to build.

I cringed, grinding my teeth together hard. I wanted nothing more than to be the person to destroy that demon; to destroy the viper's nest. Repay the bastard for everything it had done and would only continue to do. _I_ wanted to be the one to kill it.

Bhakti decided that was as good of a moment as ever to beep and in doing so scared the daylights out of me and out of my trance. He caused me to jump and look back to the ground where he had a panel floating over his head. I waved it away and set the photo back on the table. He had probably typed up something dealing with if I was okay or not.

I turned at him and grinned. I was fine.

"You remember what I said now, right?"

The panel reappeared and on the screen words started to form. Needless to say, he quoted me word for word. Snickering, I patted Bhakti, grabbed my weapon and walked to the door, sliding half-way past it before I addressed him.

He beat me to the punch. Dangling in-front of my eyes was a blue, wide-long screen (projected with all of his might no doubt) with only two words typed across it.

Good-Bye.

I sighed, shaking my head. Then promptly (and I felt quite appropriately) kicked him. Bhakti whirred, beeped, clicked, and anything else he could think of, at me in hurtful protest. With a reprimanding look on my features, I pointed that 'mother's-finger' at him. "No good-byes here, Bhakti. I'll be back…I don't know when, but I'll make sure that I do. Now, if you want to see me off with a farewell…it's going to have to be better thought-out than that."

Backing away until I was on the opposite side of the threshold, I held the door and waited for the re-appearance of his screen. It took all he had once again just to get the screen up, judging by the 'right-before-an-explosion' noises that were emanating from him.

Finally two more words appeared; taking place of the others I scolded him for.

See ya.

I laughed. Bhakti was after my own heart. Only a few days residing with us and he was _already _developing an accent.

"You're on your way." I commented, winked and shut the door, whispering a "See ya…" before it clicked closed.

With a huff, I set off down the stairs quietly so as not to wake a soul. The only two that I planned on knowing about my departure as it happened was: Vanille and Bhakti. Anyone else would cause me too much grief and never allow me to even _step_ outside Oerba.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel even a little bit of sadness as I walked up the walkway and headed out. In fact, I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel the urge to cry. I felt it many times while gazing at the abodes, the trees, every each and individual tile that made up our paths in and out of town. Every time I glanced back, I felt that crashing reality that this was my journey, _my path_, and that I might not return despite not wanting to say it aloud.

But to have no path was worse than the reality I was facing. To live in Oerba comfortably seemed too good somehow; as though the ignorance we all had allowed ourselves was not only bliss, but was selfish. Of course, not everyone agreed with me (practically no one did) and their paths would be vastly different. Still…mine, at least, I could be proud of. Regardless at where my path ended, I could look back and say: 'I'm glad I did this'.

"OERBA YUN FANG!"

"What the hell!" I screamed, my hair standing straight up at the surprise yell. My body shivered to think of whom it was that caught me, thankfully I calmed as I registered that of who it was. "Quiet, Vanille! You'll wake up the entire village!"

"YOU THINK SO?"

Repressing the urge to scream a second time, I darted towards the mischievous pink-haired child wishing by some might that the Maker would shut her up. Just this once.

With a giggle she dodged my hand and let me fall to the ground.

She was lucky I didn't get a hold of her neck.

Rolling on to my back with a growl that seemed to utter deep within my throat, I produced her name whilst rubbing my smashed nose. "Vanille…"

Vanille only smiled, winked and took her signature stance above me. With her butt out, her hands on her hips and her face leaning gradually toward me she said "I'll be quiet: on _one_ condition!"

I mumbled something incoherent even to myself and sat up. As if it wasn't bad enough that she emphasized 'one' by raising her pointer finger, Vanille had a _'condition'_. Great. "What's it going to cost me?"

She practically hopped with excitement. "_You_…let _me_…go with you!"

I dead-panned. "That's it?"

"What do ya mean 'That's it'? Of course 'that's it'!" She paused "You mean you're not even a _little_ mad?"

I rubbed my head. "I'm a _little mad_ that tears are forming in my eyes due to the way you crushed my nose when you let me hit the ground, but other than that…can't say that I am."

Vanille grinned, laughed and extended her hand to help me up. Appreciatively, I took it.

After being able to jump up, re-situate myself and dust off the dirt, I cocked an eyebrow at Vanille, waiting for something similar to an apology. I received none.

"Oh yeah!" she yelled obtrusively, her eyes widening as she reached her hand inside one of her pocket bags. Figures, when I wanted her to be quiet she continued with her perky, strident tone. "I meant to give this to you earlier, but…" her fingers were held tightly closed as she lifted her hand away from her bag, placing it assertively in front of me. "Ryker modified some of the tools I gave him; upon _my request_ of course."

Vanille delicately removed each of her fingers and allowed moonlight to shine brilliantly upon the objects held in her palm. It was jewelry, something she enjoyed covering herself in from head to toe, but not really a fashion statement I ever got in to myself. Still I had to admit that they certainly kept my interest. They were simple, violet fangs; in both earring and necklace form.

"I was hoping to give this to you on a better note, but….Happy Birthday!" Vanille grinned widely, her arms rushing timidly behind her back as I took the gifts. "I know we had an agreement not to celebrate your birthday again, but…"

It was true. I had made it blatantly clear that we were never supposed to celebrate the day of my birth again; for me it only incited pain and it took away from doing more productive things. As a child without a mother or father, we hadn't had time back then to worry about celebrations or gifts. Every day was a cruel struggle for survival. That hadn't meant I didn't take time out of my day to celebrate Vanille's birthdays. She always seemed to need a diversion and those made a good excuse from the harsh reality we faced on a regular basis.

"Vanille?"

Her stance straightened at my tone, she was quite obviously anticipating a scolding. "Yes?"

I looked up at her and quietly said "Thank you."

She gaped before breaking in to yet another smile, this time one of genuine happiness as well as maybe a bit of smug satisfaction. With a few paces forward, she kicked up her feet before spinning back around on me. "So you want to race there?" she threw her fist in the air, bringing them back to her waist as her legs landed steadily on the ground.

I shook my head. Typical that Vanille would ask me for a race already after I_ just_ recovered from an undignified fall. "I think I'm good."

"'Fraid you'll lose?"

"Vanille…don't start."

"Alright then, when you're the last one to make it to the tower, I'll just tell ole Fal'Cie that you're a rotten egg and turning you in to a L'Cie won't help you."

You know how salt shakers sound when you shake 'em? Yeah, that was how my head-scratching was sounding about now. I lowered my fist and gave her a good long look. A vibrant as ever, Vanille continued smiling that I've-challenged-you smile, her hands on her hips as she awaited my decision.

I barked a laugh at the sky and secured my weapon to my back. "On three…"

She bounced in eager anticipation. "One"

"…Two…"

We both locked gazes for one second. And though it didn't occur to me at the time, we must have read each other's mind because once we looked forward again, we took off, regardless of timing. I guess when it came to us Pulsians, time restrictions just didn't apply.

"THREE!"


End file.
